Chinese Poem - Translated by A Z Foreman

Poems Found In Translation: “Du Fu: Lament For a Prince Errant (From Chinese)”

---

Du Fu: Lament For a Prince Errant (From Chinese) Posted: 27 Sep 2016 07:33 AM PDT This poem was written in 756 or shortly thereafter during the An Lushan rebellion. Du Fu was trapped in Chang'an after it had fallen to the rebels. An Lushan had ordered that all Tang royalty be executed. His killing-squads were sweeping the city, hunting down members of the House of Tang, and executing them on sight. The "stanzaic" divisions in this poem correspond to a formal division in the original. The Chinese is rhymed AAbAcAdA...etc as one might expect. However, each section separated by an empty line in my translation begins with another AA internally rhymed couplet in the original. These seem to correspond to thematic or dramatized shifts in the original and I felt it important to mark them as such. The term used for "prince" here 王孫 (recurring four times throughout the poem) calls to mind the theme, quite old in Chinese poetry, of the "wandering prince." The "wandering prince" is often a man roaming somewhere in the wilderness, being urged by the poem's speaker to return home where he belongs while his wife is yet young. There may also be an echo of a specific wandering prince, Han Xin, who though a grandson of the king of Han, was nonetheless a commoner early in life, and was - so the story goes - saved from starvation by an old woman who saw him fishing by the Huai River and fed him for months out of pity. In Du Fu's poem, both of these tropes are inverted. Here the prince is forced into vagabondage, and dare not return home if he wishes to survive, and is moreover denied the succor that the old woman is reported to have extended to Han Xin.     Lament For a Prince Errant By Du Fu Translated by A.Z. Foreman Black in the air the whitehood crows1　from Chang'an's walls took flight 　　And loud above the Yanqiu Gate　called — cawed into the night Then wheeled toward homes of men to peck　on mansion roofs in hordes 　　Warning high ministers below　to flee the rebel2 swords The gold whips snapped — horse upon horse　galloped till it fell dead 　　Not all the Emperor's flesh and blood　could join him as he fled Blue coral and a precious crest　of jade about his waist 　　Off by the road I spot a prince 　pathetic, teary-faced  I ask his name — he will not say 　He dare not be so brave 　　But begs me in his misery 　to take him as a slave  He has escaped the killing-squads　hiding in bush and thorn 　　For a hundred days leaving his flesh　no shred of skin untorn  But the bridged nose of Gaozu's line3　bespeaks the royal clan   　　The Dragon's seed is not the seed　of ordinary man —  "Wild dogs now stalk the city streets　the Dragon roams the wild 　　Preserve Your precious self Your Highness　now that the court's exiled  I dare not speak with You too long　here in plain roadside view 　　But for Your royal sake will pause　and spare a word or two  A spring wind from the east last night ã€€blew blood's stench through the air　　  　　And camels from the east filed in　to load loot everywhere The Northland troops of Geshu Han　good men well-honed in war 　　So brave and sharp they were back then — such idiots they now are4 The Son of Heaven has abdicated　or so the rumors run 　　And in the north His Royal Virtue　has tamed the southern Khan5 They've gashed their faces — vowed to blot　all this dishonor out  　　But careful whom you tell this to　with all these spies about6　 Alas indeed poor prince — take care 　pray the auspicious power 　　Of the Imperial Tombs7 remain　your guardian every hour" Notes: 1- White-headed crows were an ominous sign. The direct inspiration here is that of Hou Jing, who usurped the power of the Liang emperors for a brief while. White-headed crows were said to have appeared over the southern gate of the Palace City at the time of takeover. 2- "Rebel" here translates èƒ¡, a word often rendered as "barbarian" or "Tartar" but which in fact could serve during the Tang as a generic term for any ethnic group other than Han Chinese. An Lushan was of mixed Turkic and Sogdian descent.  3- The high-bridged nose was characteristic of the Han imperial house, specifically that of its founder Gaozu. c.f.  4- Geshu Han's troops from Shuofang and elsewhere in the northern frontier commands, though they had done well against Tibet, were badly defeated at the Tong pass against An Lushan due to Geshu Han being forced through intrigue into some tactically unsound maneuvers. 5- Emperor Xuanzong had abdicated in favor of Suzong who had made an alliance with the Uighur Khan. 6- The reference to "gashing faces" is a call-back to the gestural vow of vengeance made by the Xiongnu.  7- The five imperial Tombs of the Tang, whose continued potency would augur the restoration of Tang rule. The Original: (Medieval Chinese transcribed using a slight modification of David Branner's system) 哀王孫　　　　　　　ei1a ghwang3 swen1  杜甫　　　　　　　　duó1a puó3c　　 長安城頭頭白烏，　　drang3 an1 dzyeing3b dou1 dou1 beik2a uo1 夜飛延秋門上呼。　　yà3 pi3a yan3b tshou3b men1 dzyàng3 huo1 又向人家啄大屋，　　ghòu3b syàng3 nyen3b ka2 trok2 dè1 uk1b 屋底達官走避胡。　　uk1b téi4 dat1 kwan1 tsóu1 bì3by ghuo1 金鞭斷折九馬死，　　kem3x pan3by twàn1 tsyat3b kóu3b má2 sí3c 骨肉不得同馳驅。　　kwet1 nyuk3b póu3b tek1 dung1b dri3b khuo3c 腰下寶玦青珊瑚，　　au3y ghà2 páu1 kwat4 tsheing4 san1 ghuo1 可憐王孫泣路隅。　　khé1 lan4 ghwang3 swen1 khep3x luò1 nguo3c 問之不肯道姓名，　　mèn3a tsyi3d póu3b khéng1 dáu1 sèing3b meing3b 但道困苦乞為奴。　　dàn1 dáu1 khwèn1 khuó1 khet3a ghwi3bx nuo1 已經百日竄荊棘，　　yí3d keing4 peik2a nyet3b tshwàn1 keing3a kek3 身上無有完肌膚。　　syen3b dzyàng3 muo3c ghóu3b ghwan1 ki3cx puo3c 高帝子孫盡隆準，　　kau1 tèi4 tsí3d swen1 dzèn3b lung3b tsywén3b 龍種自與常人殊。　　lung3c tsyúng3c dzì3c yuó3b dzyang3 nyen3b dzyuo3c 豺狼在邑龍在野，　　dzrei2b lang1 dzèi1a ep3x lung3c dzèi1a yá3 王孫善保千金軀。　　ghwang3 swen1 dzyán3b páu1 tshan4 kem3x khuo3c 不敢長語臨交衢，　　póu3b kám1b drang3 nguó3b lem3 kau2 guo3c 且為王孫立斯須。　　tshá3 ghwì3bx ghwang3 swen1 lep3 si3b suo3c 昨夜東風吹血腥，　　dzak1 yà3 tung1b pung3b tshywi3b hwat4 seing4 東來橐駝滿舊都。　　tung1b lei1a thak1 de1 mán1 gòu3b tuo1 朔方健兒好身手，　　srok2 pang3 gàn3a nyi3b háu1 syen3b syòu3b 昔何勇銳今何愚。　　seik3b ghe1 yúng3c dwèi1b kem3x ghe1 nguo3c 竊聞天子已傳位，　　tshat4 men3a than4 tsí3d yí3d drwan3b ghwì3cx 聖德北服南單于。　　syèing3b tek1 pek1 buk3b nam1a dzyan3b ghuo3c 花門剺面請雪恥，　　hwa2 men1 li3d màn3by tshéing3b swat3b thrí3d 慎勿出口他人狙。　　dzyèn3b met3a tshywet3b khóu1 the1 nyen3b tshuo3b 哀哉王孫慎勿疏，　　ei1a tsei1a ghwang3 swen1 dzyèn3b met3a sruo3b 五陵佳氣無時無。　　nguó1 leng3 kei2a khì3a muo3c dzyi3d muo3c